Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Vertigo Title Review (R.I.P.)

AAAARRGGHHHH! Wrote a long post here that I then lost! Don't you HATE that?!?

Anyway, quick version -

Madame Xanadu - still loving it. Looking forward to the upcoming '6 Senses' arc drawn by all-female artists. Very glad that Wagner has obviously decided to stay around longer than his originally intended one or two storylines.

American Vampire - not on my agenda. Vampires are my least favourite pop-culture monster and I don't like wallowing in the evil deeds of horrible, nihilistic characters when I'm looking to be entertained. For a similar reason I stopped buying...

Scalped - got sick of reading about Red Crow (or should I say evil businessman Lex Luthor 2.0) and his constantly getting away with his crimes. The book is undeniably excellently written with very naturalistic dialogue and some fantastic artwork (horrible colouring though) and I've only read the first three trades so I might wait until there are a few more in the bag and then see if there aren't more reasons for me to get back into the book.

I'll respectfully disagree with you about Scalped, Blacula. Yes, it features Red Crow, a guy who's gotten away with murder and other crimes. But to compare him to Lex Luthor? REALLY?!?! Where Red Crow is concerned, the book is much more about showing how he got to this point, what he has to do to maintain what he has and the constant threats all around him that will eventually be too much. He's very well-rounded, and we really get the sense of who he is and why he's made the choices he has. It's a fascinating character study. If Luthor were even half this interesting, he'd have his own damn book!

Obviously, if Red Crow doesn't interest you, then Scalped isn't gonna be your thing. I often find well-told stories of morally-grey characters to be a lot more interesting than those who always try to do the right thing. I mean, Dash Bad Horse (the series' "good guy") has already had enough moral compromises to make him nearly indistinguishable from Red Crow. But that's a large part of the appeal of the book. As Cobalt said somewhere, Scalped is a very noir book in that it's all about shades of gray.

^ I still think he reminds me of evil businessman Lex Luthor during the Byrne years. Since Red Crow is virtually the co-headliner in what is a very character-driven book he of course gets more fleshing out than the writers were able to give Lex Luthor during that period, but in terms of reading about a morally reprehensible character who uses their powerful business connections and force of personality to constantly stay one step ahead of the law, they're cut from the same cloth IMO. (I guess Kingpin might be a similar analogy but I've never read him in anything.)

I agree that the book is obviously meant to have a very morally-grey, noir-ish feel (and I can get into that style every now and then) but from what I read in the first three TPBs there wasn't much 'grey' about Red Crow. Unlike Dash who I agree has been very morally compromised but not to the extent that I'm not invested in his story, Red Crow is all 'black' IMO. I don't have a shred of compassion or sympathy for him and want him done and out of the book so Dash can encounter new adversaries and challenges. And that's a fatal attitude to have toward a character that gets as much page-time as Red Crow does.

Not hating on the rest of the book though which I agree is excellent.

Hmmm...I'm not sure how far the third trade goes, Blacula. Have you gotten to the part where the Hmong come to town? Red Crow has kind of a heroic moment in that arc. Also, the issue in which he's put in charge of Gina's journey to the afterlife (as part of the same arc, I think) is very telling.

I guess, well, I'm not a Sopranos fan...but if you like Tony Soprano, I think Red Crow has a very similar appeal. Bad Guy, but very relatable in a way. Then there's the "good guy" Agent Nitz--don't get me started on him!

Also, Dash and Red Crow are reminiscent slightly of Vinny Terranova and Sonny Steelgrave from a classic run of the old TV series Wiseguy. (Great, GREAT series!) Dash is a lot more gray (going into black) than Vinnie ever thought about being, though, especially as of the latest arc "The Gnawing".

Oh, and Scalped is definitely a finite series with a beginning, middle and end, so I wouldn't be on the lookout for Dash to "encounter new adversaries and challenges". Scalped is the story of Dash, Red Crow, Agent Nitz and the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation, pure and simple.

Yeah, if you want any really morally stand-up protagonists, Scalped definitely ain't the book for ya!

^ Can't remember if I got to the Hmong arc but I'm pretty sure I haven't read the Gina afterlife story.

I'm sure I would find any attempts to 'humanise' Red Crow as 'too little, too late' anyway. It annoys me when writers set up a character as evil and then go all 'but look, he's not all bad because he misses his dead wife' or something. That doesn't cut it with me.

I think the revelations of Agent Nitz's true self were when I began to go sour on Scalped actually. As above, it seemed like one of those manipulative 'Look, Red Crow isn't that bad because the guy who's trying to put him in jail is WORSE!' kinda things.

I finally read Pandemonium last night, and I concur with FC. This is maybe the best Hellblazer story ever told, a must read, and completely accessible for those who don't follow the ongoing. Extra kudos to Jamie Delano for resisting the temptation to de-age Constantine.

I spent some time in the Vertigo back issues boxes this weekend. I definitely recommend the Death: The High Cost of Living mini series from 1993, and Death: The Time of Your Life mini from 1996. Both are available in trade for reasonable prices. Gaiman and Bachalo do the honors on both. These are must haves for the Sandman completists, as they follow up on Hazel and Foxglove from the “Game of You Storyline”. Mad Hettie plays a big role in the 1993 series. For those not so well versed in Sandman, either of these series would be a good place to test the waters. They allow you to get a good feel for Death and they tell fairly complete three issue stories. Bachalo’s work on both is superior.

I also took on the monumental task of re-reading the “The Children’s Crusade”. This could be near impossible to track down for anyone who didn’t buy it off the racks. I don’t believe that it was ever collected. It was the Vertigo “event” from 1993. The story wound it’s way through two oversized bookend issues of the Children’s Crusade and five Vertigo annuals that year. The annuals included Black Orchid, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, and Arcana (which reintroduced Timothy Hunter). It’s imaginative and complex. It focused on the children from each of these series, and their journey to a mystical realm called Free Country. Free Country is a place where abused and exploited children go to escape from adults in the real world. Each chapter is dense. I loved every minute though. Re-reading this reminded me of how amazing Jamie Delano was in writing Buddy Baker’s daughter Maxine in the Animal Man series. My favorite chapter is the Swamp Thing annual, where Maxine takes on a protective role for Swamp Thing’s daughter Tefe. The series also features Gaiman’s Dead Boy Detectives who are a delight to read. If you ever get a chance, don’t be afraid to dive into this story. It’s well worth the time and expense.

Ooh, I forgot all about the Children's Crusade! Never read it but always wanted to! It always slips my mind. I'll definitely hunt for it in the back issue binds if I can remember.

not that good, actually.

I really enjoyed it - both the first time around and on the re-read. I'm partial to Vertigo of that era, though, and a huge fan of anything Gaiman does.

Thought the bookends were decent enough, but the Annuals between were forgettable (and unnecessary to the story to boot).

I think I still have these books. Maybe I'll try digging them out this weekend.

Well, after not reading a single comic for a week thanks to a delightful distraction known as "adjusting to having a baby at home", I was able to sneak a few in tonight while we await the baby's eventual nighttime feeding round #1. Two of them were Vertigo comics, two of the many excellent ones these days.

American Vampire #2 is out and I couldn't wait to read it--and now I'm dying to read #3! Everything Lardy and I said about how good the opening issue was remains the same if not magnified. Not only does Stephen King do the incredible job we're all hoping and expecting in the second half, I have to say with all honesty that Scott Snyder, series creator & writer of the first half, does an equally impressive and awesome job. Both writers excel at showing the true horror of a vampire story, which is a must-have for me in all vampire stories (take note please Twilight). It takes a lot to scare me these days, but I can still take delight in getting just plain old creeped out or impressed by some horrific imagery and storylines. And AV has that in spades. Pearl, our "protagonist" in the first story is not above some gruesome vampire violence, which is a welcome differentiation from the usual reluctant vampire we see these days. Meanwhile, Skinner Sweet, the horrific star of the second half (and important player in Pearl's story as well) is just kind of awesome to see on on the page.

Let me put it this way: to those of you who say you "can't stand vampire stories" and they "are just not my thing". Pick this up and try it. I think you'll be surprised. This is quite different from what you've unfortunately had thrown in your face these days. It's awesomely stylistic and horrifying like Lost Boys was when it debuted.

Meanwhile, I also read the latest Madame Xanadu in which the story switches back to the present (which here is the 1950's I believe) after an incredible few issue detour into the ancient past. I'd almost forgotten Detective John Jones was in the story and it was a great reminder to see him; Wagner does a great job just making the reader want more and more J'onn while at the same time giving us the dosage of Madame Xanadu we really want. The writing is so tight here and the art is so beautiful that I can't recommend this series enough.

So many great Vertigo series I'm collecting these days. Just to round them up: Fables, Scalped, Air, Unknown Soldier, Madame Xanadu, American Vampire, House of Mystery, Unwritten, Daytripper, and soon I, Zombie. Not only do I want to catch up on some classics I missed per all your suggestions, but the Vertigo Crime TPB's are also looking pretty appetizing as well. Plus, one of these days I'll get to DMZ and maybe give Northlanders another try...

Caught up with two more Vertigo titles--both of which are also excellent.

Unwritten ended the story in which Joseph Goebbels played a part and we learn a bit more about the nature of what stories mean in the series. This arc was really excellent and definitely revived my enthusiasm in the series--not that it was waning, but the previous arc at the prison was a little slower than I would have liked. We continue to learn more about the nature of the series while getting some really metaphysical stories. And I also read the latest issue, which was a one-off of one of the characters from earlier in the series, stuck in a a Winnie the Pooh type story which was just great. Carey gives a standalone story that fits in with all the classic Vertigo stories in Sandman, Lucifer and elsewhere. Great stuff.

I also read the latest Daytripper which was also terrific. What a really great, unique series this is. It also really works strongly as a 10 issue maxiseries--if it seemed to be going on indefinitely, I might start to wonder what the point was; but because its self-contained, I can't help but be incredibly intrigued by how each story ends. Each issue is jam-packed with emotional resonance and they really nail on triggering similar feelings within me, the reader, that they, the creative team, obviously have that went into creating the storyline.

Just now finished reading the $1 "What's Next?" edition of Scalped #1... and so the first trade goes on my June DCBS order. Good call, Lardster!

Wow! It just took one issue? What can I say...I'm good!

That's what she said!!!

Badda-BING!

So...when will the Devinator give in and try Scalped?

If it's 1.00, I'll give that a shot.

Hellblazer was really great again. I'm especially excited now that Lenny and Shade have joined the cast. Can't wait for Shade and John to interact. I think John may find the cure worse than the disease.

I read American Vampire #3 tonight and the series just continues to get better and better. I highly recommend this to anyone who is jaded by vampires due to recent pop-culture phenoms. This is vampires as they should be: freaking terrifying. And seeing it in past historical eras makes it all the better.

This was the first issue so far where I felt like the first story by Scott Snyder was actually even more engaging than Stephen King's second story. Both have been excellent so far but King was edging Snyder out. Here, I felt Snyder is really hitting his pace and we're in for a treat from both.

One of the things I like the most is Rafeal Albuquerque's depiction of the "American Vampires" Skinner Sweet & Pearl when they go into vampire mode. Really wild! It's very EC Comics-esque with some gritty, scariness. You just know limbs and heads are going to be going flying.

Based on recommendations here, I put aside the first trade of Unwritten so my kinds could get it for me for Father's Day. Now I just need time to read it.

Currently in the midst of a short vacation, I'm in the midst of catching up on some trades I've been stockpiling for awhile. Last night it was DMZ Vol. 7: War Powers. I initially talked up DMZ Volume One here after picking up a bunch of Vertigo trades at the same time. After reading Volume 1, I quickly gathered up 2-7 and devoured them up to 6 in quick succession. For some reason I stopped short of reading 7, not because the trades were getting any less good but, I guess, because I knew Volume 8 wasn't out, and I wouldn't be able to read more for awhile.

Well, last night I read War Powers and was amazed at how much I recalled of the complex events of the first 6 trades as I read this one. Honestly, it's a pretty complex story, but Wood writes it in a manner that gives you all the information you need to recall prior events. Now, I definitely wouldn't recommend reading these trades out of sequence, don't get me wrong, but it speaks to how memorable the story and characters are that I wouldn't be lost after not having read the last volume since some time last year.

Another thing is that the basic premise has changed as far as the involvement of journalist Matty Roth. Without giving everything away, this is no longer the story of an impartial journalist documenting the goings-on in a war zone. I think anyone who would live in such conditions would find it hard, especially considering the nature of the fictional story of a new American Civil War.

In any case Matty's gone from being a journalist to being a power player politically in the American DMZ that is Manhattan. Wood could have written Matty as a journalist trying to just report from beginning to end in this series, but I think the route he's taken is more realistic and involving.

This volume particularly seems to show Matty's last gasp as a journalist as it opens with him going to Staten Island and witnessing firsthand how some American soldiers on opposing sides may be inclined to ignore what they are supposed to be doing and try to forge peace in their own way. Until it all goes horribly wrong, that is.

Then, it's back to Manhattan where Matty finally makes a surprising choice about what to do when certain dominos fall. Can't say much more without giving away some MAJOR plot developments!

The art, primarily by series co-creator Riccardo Burchielli, is just terrific and everything you'd want it to be for a comic like this one: detailed, gritty and beautiful in its own way. It's a little reminiscent of Geof Darrow's linework, I'd say, but without the more exaggerated flourishes he's added at times. Nice, solid work.

I definitely like this Vertigo comic. Today I bought Volume 8 among a few other trades (all Fables, btw ) purchased with a gift card my lovely wife gave me for Father's Day. I suspect I won't be waiting very long to read it!

(And to a certain poster--I still haven't forgotten! I'll get to it! )

I can't wait to check DMZ out!